Teapot.



A. HERING.

TBAPOT.

APPLICATION FILED D20. 12, 1908. nnxnwnn HOV.9, 1909.

' 945,388. Patented Jam-4,1910.

INVENTOR,

\f'mJcm'ug q M HTTORNE).

ARDO HERING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Y .TEAPOT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

Application filed December 12, 1908, Serial No. 467,214. Renewed November 9, 1909. Serial No. 527,071.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Anne Hnnmo, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Teapots, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates to infusion devices and one of the objects thereof is to provide a new and improved utensil of this character which will produce and infuse liquor of uniform strength or quality.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device such that a container for an infusion may be supported in position to permit of a ready and convenient immersion in the liquor, which container may be likewise withdrawn from the liquor when the latter is of the desired strength.

A further object is to provide a device of the above character which will. prevent the escape of the aromatic properties of the infused liquor, but which may be readily removed when it is desired to refill or cleanse the liquor receptacle.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

With the above and other ends in view the invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and also in the several steps and the order and relation of one or more of the same to each of the others thereof, which will be exemplified hereinafter and the scope of the application of which willbe indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein is illustrated one of the various possible embodiments of my invention, Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing the positions assumed by the parts when the container for the infusion is immersed in the liquor, Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the container supported in a position removed from the liquor, Fig. 3 is a view in horizontal section taken through the container on line 33, Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a top plan View of a receptacle with my improved infusion device mounted thereon, the receptacle in this instance, however, being provided with a substantially square opening, and the infusion device being formed in correspondence therewith.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawirm wherein my invention is illustrated as a apted for producing an infusion of coffee or tea, and for convenience of description the same will be described herein as adapted for producing an infusion of the latter, 1 designates a tea-pot, provided with the usual spout 2 and handle 3, said tea-pot being provided with the usual opening 4 in its upper por tion. In the present instance an inwardly extending integral ledge 5 surrounds opening 4, the same being provided for a purpose which will be hereinafter described.

The numeral 6 denotes an open ended casing, the open end of which'is seated in opening 4 of the tea-pot, the upper wall 7 of said casing being provided with an opening 8, adjacent to which are formed slots or kerfs 9. A container 10 is located interiorly of easing 6 and is adapted to slide therein, said container being provided with a plurality of perforations 11 in its bottom and side walls. A stem 12 is journaled at 13 in the bottom wall 14 of the container, and extends upward through ooening 8 of the easing. Stem 12 is provi ed with splines 15 which are adapted to be received in the kerfs 9. The splines engaging kerfs 9 act as guides for stem 12 when the same is re ciprocated in opening 8. The lower ends 16 of splines 15 are so disposed with respect to the upper end of container 10 and the upper wall 7 of the casing that when the container is lifted to the osition shown in Fig. 2, and said stem slightly rotated shown in Fig. 1, they will rest upon the upper wall 7 and hold the container in such position.

Container 10, at its upper portion is provided with an outstanding flange 17 which is adapted to rest upon the led 'e 5 of the receptacle or tea-pot 1, thus limiting the downward movement of the container andholding it immersed in the liquor within the receptacle or tea-pot. Stem 12 is preferably provided with a handle or knob 18 by means of which the same may be manipulated.

Having thus described the construction of tainer 10, such operation being effected-by merely slipping the stem 12 downward through the opening 8, thereby entirely disconnecting these parts.

reassembled in a manner whichwill be-obvious, andthe casing is-th'en seatedin'the opening 4; of thetea-pot. The normal position of the container with respect tothe casing is illustrated in]? 2 of'the drawing,'in which positionthe stem 12has been slightly rotated to carry'the lower ends '16 of the splines 15 out of registry with the kerfs 9, wherebythey are allowed'to rest upon the upper wall of the casing to thereby hold the container in a position removed from the liquor contained in the tea-pot. In making the infusion, stem 12 is rotated to carry the splines 15 into registrywith the kerfs 9 whereby said stem'may be readily lowered to immerse the container in the liquor, the downward movement thereof being limited, by the engagement of the flange '17 with the ledge 5, as shown-inFig. 1. After an infusion of the desired strength has been made the container may again be lifted to the position shown in Fig. 2.

It will accordingly be seen that I have provided a utensil ofthe above character wherein is attained, among others, all the ends and objects above enumerated in a simple yet efficient manner. As will be obvious, this device provides for a diffused liquor of uniform strength, since, when the liquor is of the'required strength, the container may be withdrawn therefrom and conveniently held in a position above the same without making it necessary entirely to disengage the container from the'tea-pot.

Another advantage inherent in the above construction lies in the fact that the perforated container operates as a strainer,'the

liquor running through the perforation into the tea-pot and the tea leaves being retained therein. Afurther advantage accruing by reason of the present construction is that the container, not being allowed to remain in the liquor when the latter is of the desired strength, the objectionable effects of'the tannin and other astringent properties of tea are entirely eliminated.

While I have shown my invention applied to a device adapted to produce an infusion of coffee or tea, it is obvious that infusions of various substances may be effected thereby without departing from the spirit or scope ofthe present invention.

After the tea has been inserted'in the container, the parts are maybe formed to fit op'eningsof various shapes and sizes.

As-many changes could be made in the above construction and the manner in which the same is carried out, and many widely different embodiments of the mechanism could be utilized for carrying out such steps without departing from the scope of my invention, I intend that all matter contained inthe above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and-not in alimiting sense. I desireit also tobe understood that the'lang'uage used in the followingclaiins'is intended 'to cover'all of the generic and specific features 'ofmy invention herein described and all statements of the scope'of 'the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having thus described my 111vent1on,what

I claim as new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent is: j

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a receptacle adaptedtohold liquor, sai'd receptaclebeing provided with an opening in its upperwalls and having a ledge formed adjacentsaid' opening, a casing seated in said opening and forming a'closure therefor, a perforated container located within said casing and adapted to slide therein, a stem attached to said containerwhi'ch extends through the upper wall of the casing, guiding means provided upon said stem, and an outstanding flange provided uponsaid container adapted to rest upon said ledge and support the container when the same is lowered and immersed inliquor.

2. In a device of-the class described,the

combination of a receptacle provided "with an opening in its upper wall'and an inwardly extending ledge adjacent said open- '1ng,fan open-ended easing seated in said opening, a perforated container located within said casing and adapted to be reciprocated with respect thereto, astem for reciprocating said container which extends through the upper wall of the casing,"guiding'm'eans upon said stem, and an outstanding flange upon the upper portion of'said container which is adapted to engage with said ledge and limit the downward reciprocal movement of said container.

3. In a device ofthe class described,'the combination with a suitable receptacle,'provided with an opening in its upper portion and having a ledge surrounding said opening, an open-ended casing seated in said opening and forming a closure therefor, said casing having an opening'in-its'upper wall,

'kerfs formed adjacent said opening, a perforated container adapted to slide within It will of course'be obvious that the device A located in said kerfs, an outside flange formed upon the upper portion of said con tainer, adapted to rest upon said ledge when the container is lowered into the receptacle and immersed in the liquor therein, said an opening in its upper portion and a ledge surrounding sald opening, an open-ended casing seated in said opening and forming a closure therefor, a perforated container adapted to be reciprocated within said casing, a stem journaled in the bottom wall of the container which extends upward through the upper wall of the casing, a kerf formed in the upper wall of the casing, a spline carried by said stein which is received in said kerf, whereby said stem is guided, the lower end of said spline, when said container is moved to its uppermost position and said stem is rotated, being adapted to rest upon the upper wall of the casing and thereby hold the container in such a position, and an outstanding flange formed upon the upper portion of said container which is adapted to rest upon said ledge when said container is lowered within said receptacle and thereby limit the downward movement of said container.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a receptacle having an opening in its upper portion and a ledge projecting from the inner wall of said opening of a bottomless cover casing adapted to be seated within said opening upon said ledge, a perforated container adapted to slide within said casing, and having means for engaging said ledge when in its lowered position and other means for retaining it in its raised position within the casing.

6. In a device of the kind described, the combination with a receptacle having an opening in its upper portion, of a bottomless cover casing adapted to be seated within said opening, an open topped perforated container adapted to slide within said casing, means for reciprocating the container including means for holding it in its raised position within the casing, and means upon the container adapted to engage within said opening to limit the downward movement of the container.

ARDO IIERING.

Witnesses:

LEWIS S. HAsLAM, FREDERICK I. ALLEN. 

